Steam cooking apparatus



(No Model.) -i I y A. STEWART.

STEAM BOOKING APPARATUS.

No. 545,745. Patented Sept. 3-, 1895.

. penise of operating the same by diminishing UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALAOE STEWART, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

STEAM COOKING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,745, dated September 3, 1895. Application filed May 10, 1895. Serial No. 54.8,84li (lilo model.)

of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Steam Cooking Apparatus, of which the following is a specification;

My invention relates to steam cooking apparatus, my object being to provide simple 1 o and efficient means whereby meat, vegetables,

and other edible substances may be cooked by steam alone without being exposed to the 'danger of absorbing water produced by the condensation of steam and thereby becoming soggy or water-soaked, provision being made whereby the Water of condensation'shall be conducted from the cooking-vessels downward and received in a separate {soup-pan thus preserving and imparting to the soup the va- 2o rious essences and flavors which, being more or less volatile, are absorbed by the condensed steam.

It is my purpose, also, to provide a steam cooking apparatus in which by a simple ad- 2 5 justment of a cut-off or valve in the watervessel the steam-pressure may be increased and the temperatureof the steam raised more or less above the normal point of steam generation, thus enabling the apparatus to cook 5 0 different articles of food more thoroughly and perfectly and to completely preserve the distinctive flavor of the same. 7

It is a further purpose of my invention to provide a steam cooking apparatus with a coffee-leaching'vessel so constructed that boil ting water supplied to an exterior spout will be poured over and caused to percolate the coffee, which is supported by a foraminous pan, the same water being repeatedly drawn off and returned, passing each time through the coffee, until every particle of soluble material is is extracted. Y

it is my object, finally, to simplify and improve the construction and operation of cooking; apparatus of this type, to reduce the exthe consumption of fuel required, and to preserve the distinctive flavors of the substances cooked, thereby rendering them more palatable.

Myjinvention consists, to these ends, in the novel [features ofconstruction and in the new parts and combinations of parts hereinafter fully explained, and then particularly pointed out and defined in the claims which conclude this specification.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and to make and use my saidin-' vention, I will proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being had for this purpose to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is aperspective view of an apparatus in which my invention is incorporated. Fig. 2 is a detail view of one of the steam cooking-vessels. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the vessel in which the water of condensation is received and in which the soup is prepared. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the coffee-leaching vessel. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the watervessel or boiler.. 3

The reference-numeral 1 in said drawings indicates the water-vessel or boiler, which is preferably cylindrical and adapted by its construction to receive heat from a range, stove, oil, or gas heater. Upon one side the watervessel is provided with a spout or funnelshaped attachment 2, mounted on the exterior face of the wall and converging toward the same from the open top downward. The semiconoidal wall ofthe spout has its point of convergence at or alittle above the bottom of the vessel 1' and communicates with the latter through an opening 3 in its wall. Arranged in suitable guides upon said wall is a valve or cut-off 4, operated by a lever 5, which has its fulcrum on the exterior of the wall and is connected to the valve by a stem or link 6. This valve closes the opening 3 sufficiently to prevent the passage of steam from the vessel into the spout, but not so closely as to out oh? the flow of. water from the spout to the interior of .the vessel or from the vessel to. the spout:

The coffee-leaching vessel, soup-pan, and steam cookers are superposed upon the watervessel and derive their heat therefrom. It is evident that I may use any required number of these vessels, and my invention, therefore, is not limited in this respect. Therelative order in which said vessels are arranged is also susceptible to variation, and the order in which they are described hereinafter is merely for convenience. Y

The coffee-leaching vessel 7 corresponds in form with the boiler 1, being adapted it i upon and close the open toe of the same or any one of the separate vo sols. it is provided in its interior with a diaphragm 8 of woven wire or any other suitable material upon which the coffee is spread, said diaphragm being arranged at a convenient. point between the top and bottom, and being pref crably supported by lugs 9, whereby it may be readily removed. Upon the exterior of the vessel is formed or mounted a spent 10, which extends to the bottom, or nearly so, where it com municates through an opening 23 with the lower end of an interior spout passa e 13, which rises upon the inner face of the u al of the vessel to a point about an inch, more or less, below the level of the top of he exterior spout 10. [it its top this interior spent 13 is 1 provided with a trough shaped outlet l-;l-, which curves over toward the center of the vessel and is adapted to dischai into the diaphragm which contains the out It will readily be soon that by pouring boiling water into the outer spent it will ilovr into and be discharged from the interior spout, thereby flooding the coffee spread upo the diaphragm and extracting its essence. After passin the diaphragm the hot water filters into the it'- ton). of the vessel, from which it may iedr wn through a cool: 15 and again passed throu, h the coffee, this being repeated as many the as may be necessary. As long as the fluid mains in the lcachingwcsel, it is nbjo ted to heat from the steam genenietfl in the boiler. The soup-pan a vessel corrcspondir in form to the others, on one of wl'iich it is Sillltcl Like all the other vessels which are arranged above the boiler, it has a vertical fiitOillll-pttl" sage 16 at one side, the lower end of which drops slightly below its bottom and enters the upper end of the steaurpassage in the vessel next below. in the sonppau, however, in which the condensation is to be collected, the upper end of the steam-pass go 16 is contracted to form a neck 17, which enters the lower end of the steam-passage nest above the contraction being such that condensatiim, flowing down the inner surface of the pas sage in the upper vessel, will flow upon the exterior of the passage 16 in the soup-pan and be collected in the latter. lflach of said steam-passages 10, with the exception of that in the soup-pan, is provided with steain-opein lugs 18 to allow the steam to flow freely from thopassage to the interiorof thcvcssel. Those openings are covered with wire-gauze or other suitable material to prevent any substances placed in the vessel from entering and pass ing down in the steam-passage.

Any desired number of the steam coohin vessels maybe employed, and the steani-passages in each are provided with. openings, as described, for the inflow of steam, and with aperturcs located close to the bottom of the vessel to conduct the water of condensation back to the soup pan. fhe upper end of the steam-passage in the la..or contracted.

bios which would otherwise be Wasted.

i .l of the pan, whereby a trough 's which. catches the downllow and prevents it from escaping to the outside.

43y my invention i am able to effect a considerable economy in fuel, since by closing the valve or cut-off at f separate the cooler water i n the spent 8 from that in the boiler, shut off all circulation, and confine the steam in the boiler sufficiently to produce an increase in the temperature of the steam of 60" Eahrenhoit, or thereabout. This increase not only errpedites the process of cooking, but poriniis substances to be cooked by this method which are ordinarily treated by different processes. lily raising the valve e at any moment the height of the water in the boiler can be ascertained and rcgulatoi'l.

liy collecting the Water of condensation in the soup pan Ll preserve many volatile essonoos and flavors of both meats and vegeta- As these are more or less readily absorbed by water and contain some of the most conccntratcd and delicate nourishing ingredients, the value and importance of the result may readily be estimated.

"llhat l'. claim is--- l. in. a loiehinga," vessel having two spouts arranged respectively on the exterior and interior of the vertical side wall of the vessel and communicating at their lower ends by an aperture formed in said wall, the interior spout having an outlet at a point below the level of the cat r spout, substantially as described.

in a steam-cooking apparatus, a coffee leaching vessel having a foraininons diaphragm and provided with two spouts arranged rcs-z-pectively on the exterior and interior oi? the vertical side wall of the vessel and communicating at the lower ends by an aperture formed in said wall, the interior cam-cooking apparatus, a coffee which discharges onto said diaphram at a point below the top of the exteriorspouusuly stantiaily described.

3. lo. a steam-cooking apparatus, the combination with a boiler of one or more cooking vessels, all having steam passages communicating with each other and with the bOll61,l said passages having openings to permitsteam; to enter the interior of said vessels, and at soup pan provided with a steam passage closed at its ends, the upper end being contracted to form a neck entering the lower end of the above and adapted to receive the condensed steam on its exterior a od conduct it into the soup-pan, substantially; as described.

t. in. a steam-cooking apparatus, the combination with a boiler of onoor more cooking vessels each having a perforated steanrpassage the upper end of which receives the 0 lower end of the passage in the vessel 11BX11 above, and a soup-pan arranged between the ends, the upper end being contracted to form a neck loosely entering the passage next above and lying wholly within the wall of the pan;

whereby the water of condensation from above will be received upon the outside of the passage in said soup-pan and be collected in the latter, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALAOE STEWART.

Witnesses:

F. J. FILBERT,

H. O. HITZEMANN. 

